News

YES, the plant fair will be back this year, somewhat different than before. We are scaling it down from the usual 4 hour larger event by focusing on selling plants, with the addition of a garden-related jumble sale, with no vendors.

We will be ordering in choice and interesting plants from a few of nurseries for resale, and are hoping members will contribute plants to be sold by growing vegetable, herb and annual seedlings in potting mix, as well as your houseplant offspring. If you'd like to contribute please send email to plantfair@parkdaletorontohort.com

Plant division's from member's gardens will be accepted only under strict conditions. You’ve undoubtedly heard about the jumping worms. Clement Kent talked about this invasive pest that has the potential to change our indigenous boreal forests as well as our backyard soil. It is a very real threat to our ecosystem.

Therefore divisions will only be accepted if the donor has followed strict soil removal by careful and thorough root washing and re-potting in clean potting mix. We'll be guiding members with Jumping Worms best practices through the newsletter and in meetings in the months leading up to the Plant Fair.

Please check this webpage for more info as we post updates. 

To volunteer for the Plant Fair in any capacity please send email to volunteers@parkdaletorontohort.com Start thinking about garden related items you might want to donate to the jumble sale!

Meanwhile if you want to find out a little more about these invasive pests please check out these links.

Ontario Horticultural Association (OHA) info about about Jumping Worms.

OHA Plant Sale Best Practices document.

Canadian News video about the Jumping Worm. YES they are in parts of Toronto.

Jumping Worm Research Update video of talk given by Dr Lee Frelich, University of Minnesota for the Kelodale Garden Club. Very detailed and very interesting!

Here’s a video about how to prepare plants for divisions you will donate, which is is kind of ironic because they are digging up an invasive plant for replanting to show how to remove an invasive pest.

We are holding our AGM in person and online, please see our November meeting info for details. Here are the AGM documents:

Agenda

Board Bios

2021 AGM Minutes

Financials for the year ended Sep 30 2022

Before WildApricot, The Hort used Squarespace for its website and MailChimp for its newsletters. WildApricot can do both of those things, and more — like membership management, event registration, etc. With this change:

• Everything is consistent across our communications.

• Everything is centralized.

Members will automatically get newsletters when they join. And stop getting newsletters when they lapse. Furthermore:

• WildApricot will send out emails reminding users that it’s almost time to renew, that it’s time to renew, that it’s past time to renew, that they already renewed, etc.

The old Squarespace site will be available at https://ephemeral.parkdaletorontohort.com/ for a few more months.

You get a chance to highlight your favourite plants or garden designs. Send photos to us, newsletter@parkdaletorontohort.com by Friday May 27. Please don't send video files - they're way too big. If you want to show us a video, please upload it somewhere like Youtube, and send the link to it to us as above. Video pointers: no longer than 5 minutes, please so we can accommodate everyone. Make sure you give the public permission to see your video or we can't show it!

What you show doesn't have to be from your garden or balcony, it could be from a trip you did somewhere. 

   

Lorraine’s presentation is based on the new book she and Sheila Colla have co-written that’s coming out in May: A Garden for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee: Creating Habitat for Native Pollinators. In this talk, Lorraine explores some of the surprising corners of insect and plant relationships and how our gardens can support these dynamic interactions. Moving beyond charismatic species such as monarchs and milkweeds, Lorraine will share inspiring information about lesser-known creatures - moths, beetles and more - that are necessary for all life on earth, and how to welcome, not fear them in the garden.

Our 2021 Annual General Meeting will be held via ZOOM on November 29 at 7PM.

The following documents are available for download and the AGENDA, BIOS and FINANCIALS are also presented below for easy access.

Agenda for AGM November 29, 2021

Hort Board 2021 Nominees Bios

Previous AGM minutes (November 30, 2020)

Financials for the year ended September 30, 2021

AGENDA

1.   Call to order of the 2021 AGM, Ron Charlemagne, President - Welcomes and introductions, Announcements

2. Report on quorum (20 members minimum)

3. Additions to /Approval of the agenda 

4. Approval of the Minutes of the 2020 AGM held November 30, 2020

5. Report of the President, Ron Charlemagne - Acceptance of the President’s report

6. Report of the Treasurer, Emieke Geldof - Acceptance of the Treasurer’s report- Appointment of financial reviewers for fiscal year Sep 30, 2022 (Ingrid Whittaker and Patty McKnight)

7. Vote on the amendment to the Constitution (allowing business by Zoom)

8. Hand-over virtual gavel to Eleonora Schmied, OHA District 15 Assistant District Director

9. Elections to the 2021 - 2022 Board of Directors 

New nominations: Sarah Michelle Rafols

Re-standing at the 2021 AGM for 2021/22: Emieke Geldof, Clement Kent, Barbara Japp, Helen Vorster, Judy Whalen.

Completing 2^nd year of term: Annelies Groen, Ron Charlemagne

Call for further nominations 

10. Installation: Acceptance of the slate by the Membership

11. Return of Virtual Gavel and Adjournment of the 2021 AGM

12. Introduction of the Speaker Mari Lise Stonehouse

BIOS FOR NOMINEES STANDING FOR 2022 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

New Nominees for 2-year term:

Sarah Michelle Rafols

Member of the Hort since 2020, Sarah is interested in sustainable horticulture that builds and fosters community and biodiversity. Currently a horticultural technician journeyperson and the apprenticeship program manager at Landscape Ontario, she previously worked as an administrator, technician/gardener, groundskeeper, supervisor, and instructor in several green sectors, including green roofs and landscape maintenance. Sarah is a board member of the Ontario Parks Association Foundation and has been a volunteer at the High Park Nature Centre, LEAF, and Canada Blooms for over 10 years.

 Re-election for another 2-year term:

Emieke Geldof

Member of the Hort since 1995; Board of Directors 2011 to present; Recording Secretary in 2015, Treasurer since 2017.  Member of Communications Team (manages Hort website and email communications). Enjoys painting, canoeing, nature, and good food. Has worked as a teacher, bookkeeper, software tester, documentation writer, software trainer and support person, and currently is a freelance bookkeeper. Originally from New Zealand.

Barbara Japp

Member of the Hort since 2007. Board of Directors 2007 to present; Plant Fair committee 2008 to present; Communications Committee 2011 to 2018, Second Vice President 2011–2012, Newsletter co-editor Fall 2011 to Fall 2017. Co-President of Board of Directors with Diana Baxter 2013 to 2016. President of Board of Directors 2017–2018; Co-president Board of Directors 2019; Past President 2020. St. George’s baskets volunteer, volunteer at CNE Garden Show. Volunteer at the OHA info table at the CNE and Canada Blooms. Volunteers at the Hort Show the Flag events.

Clement Kent

Founding member of the Parkdale Horticultural Society 1988. Clement Kent is adjunct professor of Biology at York University and a co-founder of the Parkdale Horticultural Society. He has helped lead the creation of several pollinator gardens by the Hort, as well as serving in most board positions, many of them several times. Vice-President 2020 - 2021.

Helen Vorster

Member since 1994. Helped organize one of the early garden tours and has written many of the speaker summaries for the Hort newsletter. Dug and weeded for Kathy’s Grove. Has a small architecture firm that specializes in residential renovations and additions including garden design. Interested in sustainable design, maintaining our natural world, travel, art, and summers in Georgian Bay. Secretary 2020 - 2021.

Judy Whalen

Member of the Hort since 1991. Board of Directors 1995 to present; Treasurer 1998­–2008; President of Board of Directors 1997 - 1999. Works with Mari Lise Stonehouse on the speaker’s Programme 1997 to present, Community Garden Projects Coordinator 1999 to present; designed first website in 1999, Newsletter editor (1999–2003)

Completing second year of 2-year Term:

Ron Charlemagne

Member of the Hort since 2010; Board of Directors 2015 to present; Vice president 2017, 2018; Co-president of the Board 2019; President 2020 - 2021. Member of the Education and Outreach Committee, instituting the Info Table at the General Meetings. Knowledgeable in Horticulture and technical issues. Volunteers at the Hort Show the Flag events, setting up for meetings, and many other Hort events.

Annelies Groen

Member of the Hort since 2018. Experience in horticulture labour and landscape construction. Recent horticultural project: creation of a RAIN garden through a Master class. Proud host for the Swallowtail Project in the Annex. Professional background includes outdoor education workshops for primary teachers.

FINANCIALS